Game



March 27 19 45.v R. MORELLI GAME Filed April 29, 1944 Patented Mar. 27, 1945 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE E Raffaele Morelli, Brooklyn, N. Y. Application April 20, 1944, Serial No.531,95o

3 Claims. (01. 273-1052) This invention relates to games, and has among its objects the provision of a device of the character described particularly adapted for target practise and havin'g improved means whereby various hazards are provided for testing the concentration of the player as well as his sharp shooting ability.

More particularly, it is among the objects of the invention to provide improved means providing not only a moving target, but one which disappears almost the instant that it is presented in proper target position, and one whose rate of motion must be .gauged with a high degree of 'accuracy; improved means whereby a series of targets move to and fro along a member providing a path and in so doing disturb the member to thereby increase the mentalhazard at the target: and improved means whereby the several targets are movable while traveling along their path to thereby distract attention and increase the hazard in respect to the target that approaches the firing position.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent as the specification proceeds.

With the aforesaid-objects in view, the invention comprises the novel features, combinations and arrangements of parts hereinafter described in their preferred embodiments, pointed out in the subjoined claims, and. illustrated in the annexed drawing, wherein like parts are designated by the same reference characters throughout the several views.

In the drawing: v

Figure 1 is a fragmentary view in from; elevation with parts removed and in section showing a device embodying the invention. v

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view in side elevation with parts removed and in sections.

The advantages of the invention as here outlined are best realized when all of its features and instrumentalities are combined, but, useful embodiments may be produced involving less than been sufficiently reduced for its intended purpose. Formed in the disc II near its periphery is an annular series of circular ball receiving openings or cavities l4, equally angularly spaced from each other. At the front side of the disc are holes 15 coaxial and communicating with their respective cavities I4. From each of the latter extends a short opening or passage Hi to the rear face of the disc l'l, these passages l 6 thus forming a rear- Accordingly, a lowerwardly divergent series. most opening I6 slopes rearwardly and downwardly, and an uppermost opening it slopes frontwardand downwardly. Except for these uppermost andllowermost' openings I6, all others of these openings are closed by a stationary disclike plate I! carried by any supports l8, H]. In other Words the plate ll lies in slidin contact with the rotary disc I l and is provided with openings 2U lying in a vertical central plane and being adapted to aline with the uppermost and lowermost openings, the plate I! also having a central opening through which the shaft l2 may pass freely. Extending from the cavities M are the generally spiral passages 2 l each terminating in a closed ended portion 21a in relative proximity to the shaft 12. Thus the closed ended portions Zia form anannular series coaxial with the disc II, with the cavities I4 and with the openings 15. These portions 2la are equally angularly spaced apart, and with the disc H moving clockwise the portions Zla are, angularly rearward or offset relative to their respective cavities M, the passages 2| thus forming acute angles with lines'radial to their respective cavities l4. By reason ofthe close spacing involved, the passages 2| are curved so as to clear adjacent passages without intersecting the same. It will now be seen that all the various details of the disc H as described form a wholly uniform symmetrical structure which is neat and lends itself to inexpensive manufacture as by making the same of two disclike halves and securing the same together along a central plane at right angles to the shaft 12. Accordingly, the disc H may be made of plastic, preferably in a transparent form, such as Lucite, for a reason hereinafter apparent. Within the various parts of the passages i6 and 2| and through the openings 20 of the plate I! are movable the balls or targets 22, these being actuated mainly gravitationally, except as otherwise de-.

scribed. Hence many movements are accomplished with little operating mechanism.

In the drawing are shown five balls 22, although anydesired number may be used. Three of these balls are in an upper position in the disc II, and

means referred to may include an endless conveyor which may comprise a chain or belt 23 trained around a driver pulley 24 and an idler pulley 25 mounted on shafts journaled in stationary brackets or bearings 26, the drive pulley having its shaft 21 engaged by any speed change means 28 driven by the power source l3. Preferably, the shaft 2! turns counterclockwise while-w the shaft 2 turns clockwise, the speed ratio being made to suit as hereinafter apparent. It is noted that the axes of the pulleys 24,. are inclined, I

so that the belt 22 is at an acute angle to the vertical for a purpose later described. An idler pu'-lley 29 on the shaft |2 is utilized to function as a, spacer for one run of thebelt for proper operation,

of the conveyor.

Carried by the belt 22-arethree-ormore bucketlike elements 30, each formed like a short, generally horizontal tube. ments on the belt, rods 8| may 'be :affixed to the belt at the outer face thereof, the elements being connected to the rods in any suitable manner to permit the elements to tilt from the'lower horizontal position of Fig; 2 to the-inclined uppermost position shown. A simple means may include an arm 32 connected to its rod 3| at an adjustable angle as by a universal ball and socket connection 33; the other end of the arm being pivotally connected to its element as at, 3 1. The signifi-Q cant details about the elements are thatthey are open ended, the edge 35 nearest the plate I! being beveled or out along a 'plane oblique to the,

axis of the element, its opposite end having a bottom internal projection or shoulder 36; The

element 39 lies normally gravitationally horiZon-.

tal, and may be thus even when it receives a ball 22, as the latter may lie so close to the point '01,

suspension as not-t overcome the gravitational balance. In its lowermost .position as in Fig. 2, the lower edge of the inclined or beveled face 35 is in sliding contact with the plate Here','al-,

though the element is horizontaLfthe inside5surface 3! of the bottom wall is inclined downwardly and rightward from the .disc so asto aline with the adjacent passage |6 to permit a ball 22 to roll from the latter smoothly into the adjacent :element 3!]. resting against the stop 35 shall lie 'slightlyrig'htward of the point of suspension, then clockwise swinging of the carrier 30 may be prevented-by its lower edge abutment against the plate ill .or by causing the pivotal connection 34 to have a stop action in any well known manner. As the lower carrier 3|! is carried upward by the belt 22 it ap-'- proaches the plate ever more closely, :and hence the plate I! causes pressure against the carrier'3fi to tilt or swing the 'same .counterclock-l wise about its pivot 34 until the entire .edge 35 is in contact with the plate Hand the carrier,

in alinement with anuppermost cavity l'through an opening .20 .in the: plate to thus discharge the ball 22 that has been conveyed upward. In intermediate positions the ball will not fall out, as the carrier is closed by the plate l1, nor will the carrier tilt to permit the ball to drop out, since the inclinationat BLmay be rather "slight. .Fur-' ther,'the pivot .at 34 may be a spring device tending to yieldingly resist such counterclockwise movement. By reason of the idler 29, the carriers For mounting the ele- If it is preferred that "the ball when 30 are spaced away and will not impinge on shaft l2. The speed of the shaft 21 is such that when a carrier moves from the lowermost to the uppermost positions shown in Fig. 2, the disc moves through an angle of 45 degrees to bring the cavities |4 into successive register with the carriers vatinues, the ball moves from position B to position C at which it is free to pass through opening 20 "in disc H "to enter the lower carrier 30. When the latter attains its upper position in Fig. 2,

U the ball drops through opening 20 into the upperumost'cavity at position D and rolls downward in a passage2| to a position. as at A, ,in rea,diness to repeat the cycle. During the upward travel of.

a carrier 3!], the disc ||,v is turning so that when the carrier reaches its upper discharging position, a cavity M has moved into alinement there,- with.

When a ball 22 is 'at D, a position which. it occupies only for an instant, the player fires .atit, and if the projectilepassing through a .hole .|5 strikes the ball, the latter. will be thrown .rearward over the shoulder 36 and hence out of the carrier 30. This is facilitated by the length of the rods 3| whereby the 'belt is amply spaced from the disc II; also the adjacent ,run of the belt is lateral to the center of the cavity at D, because of.v the angle causedby the idler pulleyv '29. If the bullet. fails towhitthe ball squarely, the ball may notbe discharged and hence will roll down passage 2| to position A. The player .who elim-,

inates all the balls with the fewest shots wins.

the game. The hazards of the game may he .increased by the dropping of balls in passages 2 causing ,a jerkymovement, which may bepermitted by. ample backlash clearance in the gears of the drive or power source at |3. Also, if the disc I is translucent, the players attention tends to be distracted by rotational movement of other balls, and this may be realized through holes J5, even if the disc be not translucent. Thus the playersconcentration is tested and hazards are introduced to indicate how steady he is, in his play.

The device NJ is simple and cheap .and avoids the need of placin the balls manually, as Where a near miss or, glancing impact might otherwise cause the ball to falloutof position. Itrequires very little power to operate because of. the bal- 'anced arrangement of-the disc and the disposition and movement of the balls.

Iclaim:

1. .Adevice including agenerally circular .mem-. ber, horizontal meansfor rotatably mounting the. same, the member having a series of. angular'passages therein each of which is at an angletothe radius of the member,.each ,passagehaving one closed end inrelative.proximitytothe axis of .the member, the member havingv passages transverse to the angular passages and each of the latter.

.passages, but having top and bottom openings alined with those transverse passages which-momentarily move into a position where they lie along a vertical plane, said transverse passages forming a series tapered toward the front side of the member, and conveyor means for receiving a ball from the lower transverse passage that is alined with a bottom opening in the plate and for carrying the same upward and discharging the ball into a transverse passage that is in alinement with the top opening of the plate.

2. A device according to claim 1 wherein the conveyor means includes an endless conveyor having a belt lying in a plane at an acute angle to the plane of the member; carrier elements and means pivotally mounting the carrier elements on the belt, each carrier element being of openended tubular form and each tending to assume a generally horizontal position, each carrier element having means whereby it tends to lie in alinement with transverse passages at the top and bottom openings in the plate so that a ball rolls through the bottom opening of the plate into a carrier element and from a carrier element through the top opening of the plate, each carrier element having its end nearest to the plate at an angle to cause the plate to tilt the element into alinement with a transverse passage at the top opening and being normally in alined relation to a transverse passage at the bottom opening, said tilting movement occurring as the belt moves the pivotal means toward the plate, and each carrier element having means to prevent a ball from rolling out of the element in a direction away from the plate while permitting such removal of the ball from the element above the last mentioned means.

3. A device according to claim 1 wherein the conveyor means includes carrier means adapted to aline with a transverse passage at the bottom opening so that a ball may roll into the carrier means, and means whereby the latter is moved upward and tilted to aline with a transverse passage at-the top opening so that the ball can roll from the carrier means into said transverse passage, the carrier means being so open that a projectile striking a ball through a restricted opening is adapted to hurl the ball out of the carrier means to prevent the ball from entering said passage. I

' RAFFAELE MORELLI. 

